"Eliminating intruders."
An ice spear, easily surpassable by someone of my height, sliced through the air.
"Ouch!" I felt a chill at my back and quickly checked.
'I aged a decade there. I almost got caught without a chance.'
Thanks to my skills, I dodged the ice spear, which then embedded itself in the wall behind me. The thick ice wall was coated in a layer of pure white.
The ability to trap intruders in ice without damaging the walls protecting the relics was truly fitting for the guardian of Vega.
"To dodge that… You're no ordinary intruder."
"And you seem more than just an ordinary spirit."
A self-aware being was at least a mid-level spirit.
Given the scale of magic being used in the real world, it seemed like an upper-level spirit.
"Well observed. I was once a spirit that governed an entire mountain range!"
His pride shone through, and even the ice sculpture's expression cleverly changed.
"That's a shame."
"…What do you mean?"
"Regardless of past glory, now you're just guarding this small storeroom."
Crack.
What seemed to be the sculpture's brow crinkled, even making a sound.
"Impudent thief, speaking your mind."
He conjured a long ice spear, identical to the one he'd thrown at me.
"Lucky me. Baltrion said if I repel a thousand intruders, he'll set me free. You'll be my next victim."
"…Excuse me, but how many have you caught so far?"
"217. You'll be the 218th."
Why did I suddenly think of my friend Jong-ho, who couldn't get his deposit back from a rental scam?
Dmitry's ancestors must have been incredible con artists.
Otherwise, how could you explain this extreme dedication to facing a high-level spirit?
"You've got a long way to go. Catching me won't make much difference, can you just let me go?"
Boom!
He responded with action, not words.
The ice wall he created now was different from before, meant not just to capture but to shred anything trapped within it.
"Hit a nerve, did I?"
It was clear.
His tone and the statue's stern, elderly appearance were just a facade.
He was really like a child, doing whatever he felt like.
"You dodge like a rat!"
Luckily, his attack was monotonous, just throwing spears.
Compared to Luciana's unpredictable rapid swordplay, it was almost boring.
"For a spirit who once ruled mountains, your attacks are pretty weak."
"Ugh. If I hadn't been sealed, I would have captured you by now."
'The problem is, I don't really have a way to attack him.'
The Tout technique was useless against humans, and equally so now.
"Hey, where do you think you're going! Stop!"
"Since when do thieves stop when told?"
So, my strategy was a full-on retreat. As I ran deeper, the statue pursued with equal speed.
"Keep running! You're human. You'll tire first!"
He had a point.
Even with my endurance built up sparring with Luciana, I couldn't match a high-level spirit with an endless supply of mana from nature.
"Well, who tires first, we'll see in the end."
If I didn't have a chance, I wouldn't have engaged. I'm no novice.
I just needed to find a breakthrough.
In theory, spirits can use limitless magic, as long as nature provides them power.
But here, in the Baltrion family's underground, there were no mountains, glaciers, or trees for the spirit to draw power from.
Yet, this sculpture was rampaging without restraint, meaning there must be a device somewhere here sustaining the power of the snow spirit. In other words, there was a power source somewhere.
"Pant, pant…"
Will my stamina give out first, or will I find the spirit's battery charger first?
It was a race against time.
"You're tough, but this is the end."
After what felt like forever, my chronic lack of stamina caught up with me.
And to make matters worse, I was now at the very end of the vault.
Trapped in a dead end, I had no choice but to let the Snow Spirit approach from behind.
"Let's finish this."
"That's my line."
"What?"
But then…
"I found it just in time."
I had reached Chamber 1.
The deepest part of the vault, where a similar energy to the Snow Spirit emanated.
"Surely befitting the Count's reputation. Who would have thought the precious spirit stone was here?"
In a place devoid of natural elements, a gem was providing power to the Snow Spirit.
Its light, unabashed even within the heavily guarded safe, shone through the cracks.
"So, you were after the source of my power."
Realizing my intention, he looked at me with a mix of scorn and ridicule.
"Useless effort. That safe is triple-locked with high-level sealing magic that stops the heart of anyone who touches it. Only a member of the Baltrion family can open it with their blood."
The spirit seemed to laugh at me, as if saying, 'What can you, not even a member of the Baltrion family, do?' Of course, his mockery turned to shock in an instant.
"Wow. That's some fancy biometric lock."
"How did you…?!"
"That's a trade secret."
[Security magic detected, disengaging now.]
I casually put the ordinary-looking golden rod back into my pocket.
High-level sealing magic was nothing but a trivial barrier in front of the universal key Tout.
The pure white gem in my hand gleamed brilliantly, asserting its presence.
My instincts as a thief told me. This treasure, easily a lifetime's fortune if sold.
'Too bad.'
The Snow Spirit, realizing too late, threw its spear in a futile attempt to stop me, but it was already too late.
"Wait…!"
"Goodbye. Enjoy your retirement in the spirit world."
-Crash!
The spirit stone shattered on the ground.
"Now you'll see…"
Without the spirit stone to power it, the Snow Spirit couldn't maintain its form, crumbling to dust from the head down, leaving only its last curse behind.
"Now, with the watchdog gone, time to start the real loot party."
Finally alone in the quiet relic vault.
I stretched and leisurely scanned the room. First things first, I needed to get back to Chamber 108 to mess with Dmitry, then slowly sweep through each and every one for anything useful.
* * *
"Let's go in!"
Following Alex, the elite soldiers of the Count's household marched into the vault.
"What's all the fuss about?"
Behind them was the young master, glaring at them with annoyance.
"With the Snow Spirit guarding the vault, what could a mere thief, who only knows how to disguise, possibly do? We're probably just cleaning up a body."
Maybe the young master Dmitry was right.
But Alex couldn't shake an inexplicable unease.
Intuition.
Though baseless, Alex trusted his gut. It had served him well, from a lowly soldier to a guard in the vault, even in situations surrounded by monsters or demons.
His instinct screamed at him.
This unremarkable thief could be up to something unbelievable in the vault.
"Master, if you meet the Snow Spirit, please try to persuade it."
"Fine, but prepare yourself. I'll have you answer for everything from letting a thief into the vault to your impudence towards nobility."
…This might be his last mission.
Alex swallowed his bitterness and led the soldiers.
Fortunately, despite their suspicions of being led by someone under noble persecution, the soldiers followed orders faithfully.
"Halt."
Suddenly, Alex's knightly senses picked up a presence.
Dmitry and then the soldiers, sensing it too, readied their weapons.
"Identify yourself."
"Damn. Just when I was getting started, an interruption."
The intruder, wearing a bizarre golden mask, clicked his tongue in annoyance.
The voice was so distorted with noise that it was hard to tell if it was male or female.
Even the figure was indistinct, like trying to make out someone through a fog.
"Is that, is that an Amplification Orb?"
Despite the confusion, the artifact in the intruder's hand was unmistakably clear.
A fist-sized orb tinged with pink.
Dmitry immediately recognized it as the family heirloom his father had shown him as a child, an orb that aids in growth.
"Put that down right now and surrender peacefully."
"Ha, do you really think I'll just obey your orders?"
Alex's warning was met with only a scoff. The intruder's polite tone was laced with sarcasm.
"Taking out the Snow Spirit and now facing knights and soldiers, seems like a raw deal for me. I have to take this at least, or my visit here is pointless."
Everyone held their breath at the intruder's casual remark.
"The Snow Spirit, you took it down?"
Alex felt the same disbelief.
It was a high-level spirit that had guarded its post for centuries, and now it was gone so easily.
"…Who exactly are you?"
At Alex's tense question, the intruder burst into laughter and clapped his hands.
"Even though I'm caught, you think I'd just reveal my identity because you ask…?"
Mid-sentence, the intruder stopped laughing and stared blankly into space.
What's going on? Does he have an accomplice?
Alex followed his gaze, but saw nothing.
Every move of the intruder seemed calculated, straining Alex's nerves.
"Right. I guess that's typical for a thief."
The intruder then dramatically stretched out his arms, as if performing for everyone.
"Since you asked, I'll kindly answer. My name is Frost Mane! The thief who came to rob the Baltrion family vault."
"He's lost it."
Dmitry muttered what everyone was thinking.
Anyone bragging about their theft with such a child-like name would seem insane.
Dmitry just shook his head, dismissing him as a madman.
"What are you waiting for! He's just spouting nonsense. Retrieve the Amplification Orb and bring that man to his knees!"
The soldiers snapped to attention at the command.
Yet, sweat beaded on Alex's forehead. Despite the closing circle, the intruder just chuckled.
"I wanted more fun, but I'll withdraw for today. Better beef up your security next time. Or I'll clean you out. Farewell!"
With that, thick clouds of smoke billowed around him.
"What the…?!"
"Don't step on me!"
The cloud, growing in size, made it impossible for the soldiers to see anything.
"Stay calm! We need to catch that lunatic first!"
Even in the chaos, Alex tried to calm the soldiers and locate the intruder, searching for the unfamiliar presence.
"Where did he go?"
But even with his trained knightly senses, the intruder's presence vanished without a trace.
By the time they could see again, it was too late.
"…We're doomed."
Could he even save his own life?
He had let a thief into the vault, and now failed to prevent the theft of the relics. Alex chuckled hopelessly and fiddled with his sword.
* * *
"The world's becoming a dangerous place. I thought thieves like this were just stories from the west, but to think one would show up here in the north."
Luciana held a newspaper with the headline about my theft at the Baltrion household.
[Baltrion Count's House Robbed by a Single Thief: Is Their Security Reliable?]
"Do these things happen often in the west?"
"More than you'd think. There's even a notorious guy called 'Sand Mole' targeting noble houses there. He's been caught now, though."
I poured Luciana some tea, using the name of my mentor as leverage.
At the same time, I fixed my gaze on the status window floating above her head.
[Emergency Quest Completed]
[Successfully Made a Name as a Thief]
[Skill 'Dual Reputation' Unlocked]
It was time to check the fruits of last night's labor. The tea's aroma seemed unusually sweet.